MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The brother of an armored truck guard who was ambushed and gunned down Sunday at Calder Casino and Race Course spoke to Local 10 on Tuesday about his brother's life.
Alvaro Lopez Ramos, 26, of Florida City, was a soldier, a member of the U.S. Army and the National Guard. Two months ago, he became a U.S. citizen.
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"My brother did not deserve to die. He had a full life," said Ramos' brother, who did not want to be identified.
Ramos took a job at Brinks a year ago, hoping to save enough money to go to college and become a math teacher. His brother is angry, insisting that Ramos' life was worth far more than the $11 per hour he made.
"He didn't feel that he was in danger. I guess he didn't see the danger in the job; neither did we," said his brother.
Uri Steven Ammar, 26, of Hollywood, and Vladimir Louissant, 25, Victoria Barkley, 26, Byron Kyler, 23, and Reginald Mitchell, 26, all of Miami Gardens, have been arrested and face charges in connection with the robbery and shooting .
Louissant is accused of fatally shooting Ramos. According to an affidavit released by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Mitchell planned the stickup and convinced Barkley, his girlfriend, to drive one of the getaway cars. Investigators said Mitchell also convinced Kyler, a Carol City High School grad, to let him use his pickup as transportation to and from the casino.
Investigators said Ammar, a security guard at the casino, escorted Ramos from the casino after tipping off Louissant and Mitchell.
"She didn't have any knowledge of what was going on or what was going down," said Barkley's mother, Verneta Barkley.
"I want them to spend the rest of their lives in jail. I want them to know, to think about what they did to my brother," said Ramos' brother.